From Robin to Nightwing
by unboundpen
Summary: Cassandra Cain is Dick's go to person when he has Bruce issues. She, being the awesome big sister that she is, decides to pass on her costume and take on a new one. This is a little ficlet of how Dick got the role of Nighwing. Post season 1, pre-Invasion


A/N: Before Invasion, I, and a few members of the fandom, had a head canon of Cass being older than Dick and was Nightwing. I wanted to try filling in the gap of how Dick got Nightwing while sticking with my head canon. And as some of you may know, I like to tie in canon with head canon and so, I came up with this. (This was supposed to be a little drabble, but I got carried away. Oh well.)

* * *

It had been a habit of his for some time now. The fights with Bruce had been few and far in between, but now that Dick is aware of the pressure he's receiving on taking on the role of Batman, they became frequent. Today was just another day, and one that he had hated especially.

_Voice needs to be gruffer, Dick. Match my tone._

Bludhaven was only down south of the river, and was only a short motorcycle ride from Gotham. When he had been given permission to drive whenever he wanted on his 14th birthday, Dick always managed to drive down and visit his older sister. She had set up at least four safe houses in the city, but it wasn't hard to find which one she was currently residing in for the week.

"Dick?"

She had been in the shower when he had sneaked in, so he had chosen to do some stretches while he waited.

His head swiveled towards her, and he flashed her an easy going smile, which she returned with her usual small one.

"Cass!" Dick rolled backwards and onto his feet from the split he had been doing a second ago to bound over to her and give her a hug. She may not say it, but he knew she loved it when he gave her hugs.

The clean and moist smell that emanated from her person had him smiling into her neck and snuggling closer. It took almost a minute for her to return the gesture, but she managed to wrap her arms around his now bulky form, which was somewhat an improvement of his short and slender form back when he had been 13.

"Again?" She whispered softly into his ear.

"No, I just wanted to see my favorite sister." They both knew how much bullshit that statement held, and she pulled away to give him that look, to which he nervously laughed at, shaking his head as he pulled away from her.

"So I'm guessing you're done with patrol?"

She nodded.

"Dang, I was hoping I could join you."

"Slow night. Computer will alert me if there's trouble."

The twenty-year-old cocked her head to the side and studied him, her hand squeezing his bicep in question. Because of those little ques he finally let himself sag, letting all the tension go. He was tired after all. What he loved most about Cass was how he could just say nothing, and she could read what was wrong and what he needed based on his body language. It turns out he needed to be led to her upstairs apartment by the hand. He made little effort to resist her.

"Gloves off," she commanded quietly, and he complied. Her nimble and scarred fingertips skirted around his face, and he was suddenly reminded that he had gotten here as Robin and not as Dick Grayson. As she peeled the domino mask away, spirit gum making the area around his eyes a little sticky. He unclipped his cape with a sigh as she rubbed away at the adhesive left on his face.

He murmured his thanks as he sank onto her leather couch listlessly. Boots off was what his mind registered, and he managed to focus on unlacing his footwear while she disappeared into the kitchen.

Moments later, he smelt the aroma of steaming hot chocolate, and the casual dip of the couch beside him. He silently told himself that this was another reason he loved Cass. She always knew he was in the mood for her hot chocolate. (It had been the first thing she learned to make herself when she had moved in with them briefly.) His eyes opened, and he reached up to take the steaming cup away from her. Over the scent of chocolate was the Jasmine tea that she always made along with his hot cocoa.

"Bruce?"

"...Yeah..."

The shoulder that was in contact nudged his own, and he felt compelled to jostle her cup back. He did not want to spill a single drop of this liquid heaven.

"Cass...I don't know if taking Bruce's place was ever really right for me. I mean sure, I already realized that back when we had that mishap of a mental training exercise, but I was still young then. I rationalized that I would still had a few more years to warm up to the position, and for awhile I did. But the strain has been getting to me what with me getting too old to be Robin and Tim practically ready to take on the name...I guess you've noticed that already, and well this is practically the same thing I said to you the last time I was here."

"What happened this time?"

"My..." he choked, "god Cass, my voice. My voice wasn't deep enough, wasn't gruff enough to be like Batman's."

"Only sixteen Dick."

"I know...but...like I said, I'm getting too old to be Robin...too young to take on the role of Batman. What am I supposed to do, Cass?" He took a worried sip, welcoming the comforting warmth that slid down from his throat to his belly.

"Bruce don't listen."

"You have it so easy."

He caught the smile out of the corner of his eye.

"No...lies."

"Wha-"

"-Bruce didn't tell. I didn't tell. We fought over his symbol. He want me to wear it. I said no and became Nightwing."

"Was that why you guys didn't speak during that one time?"

She confirmed her answer with another nod of her head. "No talk, but he accepted later on."

"I don't understand, what does this-"

"Shh, wait here." Cassandra handed him her cup of tea, and Dick watched her get up and go into her room. He heard the creak of her closet door twice before she came back out with something folded in her hands. Definitely from a blue and black material.

"Cass what...what are you doing?" She had sat back next to him, setting the folded cloth on his lap, the symbol on the thing became very clear to him.

"I think," she answered, taking her own cup back into her own hands, "you and I need to volve."

"Volve?"

She tapped her head thoughtfully, "There is evolve, revolve, and involve. Does that mean that volve means change?"

Dick smirked, remembering all the times his team got annoyed with him analyzing different english words. It just so happened he had gotten curious about it when Cass began to wonder about it. Her habit had rubbed off on him.

"I guess volve could mean change. I'll use that as a new one around the Cave. Thanks."

She shrugged, "You volve from Robin to Nightwing."

Dick jumped, his smirk wiped blank from his face, startled at her verbal offering, "What? Cass, Nightwing is yours. I can't just take that from you."

"You're not. I give you Nightwing."

"But..."

"Dick, you come to me after fights with Bruce, but you do not realize I have been thinking too."

"Thinking about what?"

"I think it's time to wear the symbol. I know I cannot be Batman."

"That's not true! You can be a Batwoman if you wanted too. Bruce would be alright with that." He was slightly offended that she would undermine herself. It wasn't something she normally did.

She screwed her face in distaste, and he had to laugh at that. "Okay, so maybe not Batwoman. Babs took Batgirl."

"You are Nightwing now."

"Okay, so if I were to take on Nightwing, what would you be?"

"Easy. Black Bat." She said that so airily as if it wasn't something big to her, and it probably wasn't. Still, it didn't do anything to hold down his worry for his older sister.

"But Cass, you just said you and Bruce fought about taking the symbol."

"I grew up. We grew up. I feel ready, feel worthy to wear the bat. You are like me now, unsure if worthy. In time, you come to your answer."

A finger had been tracing the Nightwing symbol without his notice until now, and he stopped to stare at it properly, contemplating her words.

"Dick," she called, placing her hand on his shoulder and drawing his attention back to her, "think Nightwing like stepping stone -is that right?," he nodded, "Nightwing help prepare you to be future you. May be Batman or not. We don't know, but you are still young. Don't need to wear symbol, you too young anyway."

Through her slightly better, yet still broken English, he saw her meaning. She was telling him that he didn't need to be like Batman right away, and that she was helping him by giving him an option that would be a very happy medium for him. And with every word she said to him, he was starting to warm up to it.

"So..." He started, but trailed off, still unsure.

She pursed her lip and nodded firmly. "I give you permission."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes. You need Nightwing more than me now."

He leaned back, and rested his head on the back of the couch, directing his eyes to her tiled ceiling in thought. "And Bruce?"

"Bruce can deal."

It was so abrupt, even for her, he just had to snort and start cackling at her.

"And the team?"

"More than team right? They will understand."

"Okay..."

They fell into a comfortable silence, something that was a norm when with Cass, and sipped at their cooling drinks. She had tucked her legs to her side, and he had moved until his head was resting on her shoulder. It was only after they had finished their drinks and had set them on her coffee table when she spoke again.

"You're nervous."

"I guess."

She reached up to run her fingers through his hair soothingly, while her other arm came around to wrap around his torso.

"We patrol tomorrow."

He smiled, but made no move to show her how pleased he was at the suggestion. "As Nightwing and Black Bat?"

It was only a few seconds until she said the one sentence that dispelled all of his fears.

"We make debut together like a show at Haly's Circus."


End file.
